# Leading Zero's Missing on Hard Drive
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/leading-zeros-missing-on-hard-drive/66202
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [October 9, 2024, 5:20am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/leading-zeros-missing-on-hard-drive/66202 "2024-10-09T05:20:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sharky](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sharky)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2024, 5:20am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/leading-zeros-missing-on-hard-drive/66202/1 "2024-10-09T05:20:23Z")
Hi and thank you for support...
When tagging I use the leading zero option. Save repeatedly and all is okay. I can go back to the files after a week or two and view tagging sometimes the leading zero's are randomly missing. Why is this/ what can I do to stop this?
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2024, 6:13am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/leading-zeros-missing-on-hard-drive/66202/2 "2024-10-09T06:13:48Z")
> [@Sharky](#):
>
> When tagging I use the leading zero option. Save repeatedly and all is okay
You do this only in Mp3tag, right?
Are these mp3 songs or any other format like FLAC or mp4?
> [@Sharky](#):
>
> after a week or two and view tagging
What kind of other metadata tools access the same file in the meantime?
Do you use any music software that could change these files - for example?
Have you played the songs with a music playing software and then “lost” the leading zero?
If you have a look at the last changed date of such files, do you see a newer date than the day you modified the TRACK numbers with leading zeroes?
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### Author:  [@Sharky](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sharky)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2024, 4:32am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/leading-zeros-missing-on-hard-drive/66202/3 "2024-10-10T04:32:16Z")
LyricsLover, thank you for your support!
I save repeatedly and the problem still comes back albeit less frequently.
For reference I have 110,621 files (10,173 Folders) in my music collection which includes artwork. It has taken me sometime to work through correcting the leading zeros to only find out the problem is back.
I have two identical hard drives and one NAS (all Seagate), the problem repeats itself.
Very few of the files are mp3. Preference is wav although there many flac files \*previous preference).
I'm not aware/sure of any other metadata tools accessing. Other than opening as a Folder via Windows the files are run/accessed c/o JRiver (for me the best sounding/quality media player), no other playback device.
Playing the songs on the music player is not resulting in the missing leading zeros.
The last tagging has retained the leading zero and no newer date.
Once again - thank you...
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2024, 6:34am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/leading-zeros-missing-on-hard-drive/66202/4 "2024-10-10T06:34:28Z")
> [@Sharky](#):
>
> It has taken me sometime to work through correcting the leading zeros
I would think that a filter would show these files fairly quickly:
`%track% LESS 10 AND NOT %track% HAS 0`
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### Author:  [@Sharky](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sharky)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2024, 4:29am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/leading-zeros-missing-on-hard-drive/66202/5 "2024-10-11T04:29:36Z")
ohrenkino: this is incredibly useful, saving me hours - thank you!!!
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2024, 7:30am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/leading-zeros-missing-on-hard-drive/66202/6 "2024-10-11T07:30:48Z")
... and one more:
You could apply Convert\>Tag-Tag for TRACK to these files using
Format string: $num(%track%,2)
This should add leading zeros to 1-digit-numbers.
After that press 2x F3 to apply the filter again. And ideally, no file should appear in the file list any more.
If you still find some, check the file format whether that supports leading zeros at all.
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### Author:  [@Sharky](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Sharky)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2024, 8:00am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/leading-zeros-missing-on-hard-drive/66202/7 "2024-10-11T08:00:59Z")
Once again, fully appreciated! I'll try this when back off holiday...
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2024, 9:40am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/leading-zeros-missing-on-hard-drive/66202/8 "2024-11-20T09:40:00Z")
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